Baby-walker.



R. NOEL, SR,

BABY WALKER.

APPLICATION FILED APR-25.1918.

INVENTOR Patented Feb. 11, 1919..

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A TTOR/VEYS R: NOEL, SR.

BABYWALKER.

. APPLICATION FILED APR- 25| 1918. 1 29% 3G, Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

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WITNESSES M/I/E/VTQR A TTORIVEYS I L. Raymond Noe/5r I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND NOEL, sa, or DUBOIS, PENNSYLVANIA.

BABY-WALKER.

Application filed April 25, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND NOEL, S12, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dubois, in the county of Clearfield and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Baby-Walker, of which the following is a description.

My invention has for its objects to pro vide a baby-walker, the novel construction and arrangement of which results in distinctive advantages among which are the following: The baby may travel back and forth longitudinally of the structure for which purpose there is provided an elevated floor supported on the legs of the structure, together with aspring-suspended seat disposed above the floor and carried by a slide adapted to travel back and forth, the seat being mounted on the slide to turn for disposing the seat in any angular position relatively to the structure, or reversed for the back and forth travel of the baby. The structure is in knock-down form, the legs being foldably connected at their upper ends with the main frame, provision being made for securing the parts either in assembled or knock-down form. The frame at the ends includes, in the preferred form, tables for the baby to either feed or play, provision being made to limit the movement of the slide relatively to the end elements, so that the fingers or hands of the baby cannot be pinched. The slide has an opening therein in which the baby can turn when seated or walking. Also, generally, the purpose is served that the baby is safely held and is prevented from injuring himself or destroying rugs or furniture, while aifoded the necessay exercise or facility for rest.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, it being understood that the .drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a baby walker embodying my invention. showing the same in erect form for use;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the structure in knocked-down form;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of one end of a portion of the structure set up as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the knockeddown structure;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

Serial No. 230,729.

Fig. 5 is a detail inverted plan view, the view being taken through the suspension springs as indicated by the line 55, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing parts of the frame including an end table and upper ends of two of the legs before the assembling of these parts;

Fig. 7 is a detail longitudinal vertical section of one of the end tables;

Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section taken through one side of the frame as indicated by the line 88, Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is an inverted plan view of one portion of the top frame including a detachable table element thereon.

In constructing a practical embodiment of my invention, a top frame 10 is provided, presenting side members and certain transverse members at the ends, said members including, in the preferred form of the invention, tables 11 for use by the baby in feeding or playing. The top frame is supported by four legs 12 and said legs support above the lower ends thereof, a floor 13 on which the baby may stand. The legs are detachably connected with the top frame and are hinged to the floor 13 by hinges 14, at the outer sides of the legs, there being fixed cleats 15 on the under side of the floor adjacent to which the legs may swing, said legs including cross bars 16 between each end pair ofv legs.

The tables 11 are detachable from the relatively fixed frame elements and each table is secured by a vertical bolt 17 which passes through a counter-sunk bolt hole 18 in the table through a registering hole 19 in a fixed end cross bar 22 joining the side bars of the frame 10 at the ends. Said cross bar 22 may have any ornamental strip 23. A nut 20 is let into the cross bar 22 to take the bolt 17 thereby firmly holding the table 11 in position. The bolts 17 are adapted also when the structure is knocked down to take into nuts 21 let into the floor 13.

For the purpose of detachably locking the upper ends of the legs 12 to the top frame elements vertical mortises 24 are formed in the top frame, that is to say, jointly by and in the side rails of said frame, the fixed end rails 22 and the detachable end elements 11, so that a tenon 24? is presented between each pair of mortises projecting laterally outward and ranging vetrioally between said mortises at the ends of the fixed cross rail 22. Also,

there are formed in the side rails vertical gains 25. A formation is given the upper ends of the legs 12 to correspond with the described mortise and tenon formation of the top frame, the upper end of each leg being formed with a. vertical flange or terminal 26 of reduced thickness which is received in the gain 25, and formed also on each leg are vertical tenons 27, 28 receivable in the mortises 24, there being a mortise 27 between the tenons 27, 28 for accommodating the tenon 2 1 One of the last-mentioned ten'ons, as 28, is undercut to produce an overhanging catch projection 29 disposed toward the flange 26 but spaced from the latter.

The removable table 11 or equivalent detachable end member is slidable into and out of place longitudinally of the table L nd carries at its, under side a depending latch 30 having a forwardly projecting lug 31 adapted to be received beneath the overhanging slide.

catch projection 29. Thus, with the table 11 in, position adjacent to the elements 10, 22, the bolt 17 secures the parts in position and firmly holds the legs in place. The removal of the bolt 17 permits of the table 11 being slid outwardly to release the legs and permit the latter to be detached from the upper frame structure, so that the bolt 17 may again be inserted to hold the table 11 in place and also to engage the nut 21 of floor 13.

A seat 32 is provided which advantageously is in general of crescentic shape and presents at the center a forwardly projecting bar on each side of which the babys legsmay extend. The ends of the seat 32 and the end of the bar 33 thereof have suspending means, the preferred form comprising straps 34 having buckles to adjust the effective length, said straps being suspended by springs 35 from a slide 36 adapted to travel back and forth longitudinally of the main frame 10. The springs 35 are not directly connected with the slide 36, but indirectly, said springs being secured to a ring 37 which is adapted to turn on the slide 36 after the manner of a fifth wheel, said ring being revolubly held against the under side of the slide 36 by keepers 39, best shown in Fig. 5. The central opening 38 in the slide 36 in register with the opening of the ring 37 permits of the baby being positioned within said ring and slide and on the seat 32.

Suitable guide means is provided for the slide 36, the side rails of the frame 10 in the form shown presenting track members 4:0 above which are longitudinal grooves 41 receiving the respective side edges of the said The slide 36 is not ermitted to ap proach either table 11 su ciently close to pinch the babys hands or fingers, there being for the. purpose suitable stop members limiting the travel of the slide. Stop memangle and to dispose the seat 32 toward either end of the structure that he may walk back and forth. In the assembling of the parts in knock-down form the floor board 13 may approach sufficiently close to the frame 10 to be secured by the bolts 17 the flexible and collapsible character ofthe seat-suspending means enabling the seat to accommodate itself to the knocked-down assemblage.

A rubber matting 13, or equivalent cov-Q ering, may be applied to the floor 13 to prevent slipping, said cover being indicated in Fig. 3 and omitted from the others in the interest of clearness.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated example constitues I a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent: V

1. A knock-down baby-walker including a top frame, a baby seat, collapsiblemeans suspending the seat from said frame, legs detachably connected at their upper ends ios with said frame, a floor to which saidlegs are hinged near their lower ends to fold alongslde said floor, and means on the frame and engageable wlth sald floor when the latter with the folded legs is positioned adja-' cent to the under side of said frame.

A. knock-down baby-walker lncludmg a main frame, detachable transverse end' elements on said frame, supporting legs for the frame, fastening members on sald legs at their upper ends, coasting fastening mem-.

bers on said transverse elements adapted to engage or disengage the fastener members of the legs, and bolts to hold sald transverseelements in position on the main frame with the respective fastener elements in engage ment.

3. A knockdown baby-walker including a main frame, detachable transverse end ele-' ments on said frame, supporting legs for the frame, fastening members on said legs at their upper ends, coacting fastening memhere on said transverse'elements adapted to engage or disengage the fastener members of the legs, and bolts to hold said transverse elements in position on the main frame with the respective fastener elements in engagement; together with, a floor to which said legs are hinged near the lower ends to fold alongside of said floor, and means on said floor engageable by said bolts to hold the floor with said folded legs adjacent to said frame.

at. A knock-clown structure including a top frame, supporting legs for said frame, said frame being gained at the outer faces thereof and presenting a tenon and mortise formation at the inner side, said legs having vertical terminals fitting said gains and having a vertical tenon and mortise formation mating the similar formation of the frame, together with transverse end elements on said frame and slidably engagin the same for attaching and detaching sai elements, an overhanging catch projection on each leg, longitudinally disposed latch members on said end elements adapted to engage or disengage said overhanging members by a sliding movement of the end elements, and bolts to secure said end elements in place with the latch in engaged position.

RAYMOND NOEL, Sn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

